Silent Night
by lavalieres
Summary: Late one night, Atemu silently watches the snow falling outside as he thinks about Yuugi. Feeling Atemu's misgivings over advancing their bond, Yuugi takes him to a church and explains the meaning of Christmas and how it relates to their love.


**(A/N)** _Here's a nice little Christmas ficcy for the upcoming holiday. I know I should be working on DCMP! but I felt in the mood to do something a little less humorous and a little more angsty/philosophical… Hope you all like!_

_**Warning: Shonen-ai… Has some religious shtuff**… However, the descriptions Yuugi gives concerning the origin of Christmas and the role of Jesus are (intentionally on my part) interpreted incorrectly. He's not a Christian (as far as I know), and I used that as an excuse for his misunderstanding… His interpretations are used to illuminate a point he's trying to make. **If you find this offensive, please don't**. BTW: For those of you who have been reading my other shtuff, I hope that my expressed views here will not dissuade you from continuing to read. Enjoy!_

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I am disclaiming Yuugiou.

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**Silent Night**

**By Hales731

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All was silent, all was calm. Moonlight filtered silently into the bedroom of a young man named Yuugi. It was nearing midnight, and by all accounts, the two occupants of the room should've been sleeping. The older of the two, however, was watching snow float gradually down from the sky.

The scene white scene outside Yuugi's window, was somewhat obscured by the fog within the corners of the window. Crystals of snow brushed the glass gently, some sticking, some melting away to nothingness.

Atemu sighed, turning away from the window and glanced at the other sleeping figure in the room. It had been six months since Atemu had acquired his own body, but had opted to remain unknown to much of the world, excepting, of course, his and Yuugi's closest friends. Now that he was more able to interact with the only individual he was truly able to connect with, his bond had become stronger with his younger doppelganger.

This bond was what Atemu was contemplating. He reached over to Yuugi and gently brushed the golden bangs from his sleeping eyes, considering which direction he wanted to take with their relationship.

Being able to touch and feel again, and without the aid of Yuugi's memories, he had gained an addiction for touching Yuugi. He tried to keep his urges at a minimum. He tried not to grasp hold of Yuugi and run his fingers through the hikari's soft locks, tried not to bury his nose in and breathe the scent of Yuugi's hair, tried to keep his hands from traveling over the pale skin of his savior. He did not wish to taint the young man who had given him life. It seemed, though, that Yuugi did not mind the small pets he received from his darkness. He even welcomed it, and Atemu found it more and more difficult to keep his hands off Yuugi.

Atemu knew, very well, that he had fallen hard for his light. It was impossible not to. Yuugi completed him in a way none other could. It was a concept easy to comprehend: they were two halves of the same soul. Yuugi knew of Atemu's obsession for him (How could he not when they shared a mind?), and when the former pharaoh feared telling Yuugi, terrified of Yuugi's reaction, Atemu realized that Yuugi already knew, and loved him in turn. So far their love was unspoken; the two chose, instead, to merely revel in each others' devotion and company. Atemu was too afraid to proceed further, for fear of harming the petit youth. Yuugi was content to wait for his darkness to resolve his fears, dreaming of the day when Atemu understood that he could not be tainted.

Now, however, Atemu was wondering if his… attachment to Yuugi was good for the young man. Was it enough Yuugi, to simply wait? Would his darkness eventually give in to the temptation and taint him horribly? Should he let Yuugi go, so he might live a real life, with real relationships? Anzu still had her eye on Yuugi, a fact that irked Atemu greatly. Atemu desired Yuugi, ached to hold him and love him and cherish him and care for him and protect him… But he could not help but wonder if their "love" was healthy. Atemu tended to ignore Seto's comments on narcissism, but wondered if they were affecting Yuugi. If anything was important to Atemu, it was what Yuugi wanted. He would do anything for the gentle boy.

He sighed again, turning back to the neglected, frosted glass. It hurt sometimes how much he loved Yuugi. He wanted some way to express his eternal love and devotion, to take and to hold and to keep and to guard the boy forever.

A slight movement from his sleeping form directed Atemu's attention to Yuugi.

"Yami? What are you doing up? Why aren't you sleeping?"

Atemu said nothing, prompting Yuugi to probe his mind gently. Atemu made no attempt to close off his thoughts, instead opening his mind completely to Yuugi. He would not ignore the desire of Yuugi to know what was concerning him.

After a flood of fears, hope, concerns, and desires, Yuugi said simply, "Oh." Then he got up, and slowly proceeded to get dressed.

"What are you doing?" Atemu asked quietly.

Yuugi took Atemu by the wrist, silently leading him out of the bedroom, down the stairs, and towards the door. "I want to show you something."

He opened up a closet door, retrieving two thick, winter coats which he bundled his yami and himself in. He grabbed the car keys near the door, wrote a brief note for his grandfather, and led Atemu outside.

As they silently drove to some unknown destination, Atemu watched hushed houses, bedecked in multitudes of colored lights, flash by. The snow continued to drift lazily toward the ground, with the occasional flake glancing Atemu's passenger-side window.

They came to a stop and once again, Yuugi quietly guided Atemu. They were standing in front of a Christian cathedral. There were no sounds to be heard, not even an occasional passing car. Near by, was a brightly decorated pine tree, bejeweled with twinkling lights and glass, colored baubles. Atemu disregarded the oddly decorated tree. Instead, his attention was focused on a humbly lit Nativity scene. He regarded each figure with curiosity, from the golden figure hovering over the scene to the small child, wrapped in blankets, lying in the manger.

Atemu's gaze drifted up into the sky. He gasped as he saw an exceptionally bright star, glimmering between a break in the clouds. The star outshined all other visible celestial lights.

He turned to face his hikari, taking another sudden breath of the icy air. The once pharaoh had always considered his more innocent half to be the most beautiful earthly creature he had ever gazed upon. But at that moment, as Yuugi stood in front of Atemu with his arms outstretched to him, snow fluttering to land on his pale cheeks and garnet lips, Yuugi seemed to have a divine glow. Atemu noticed that much of the light coming from the over-bright star shined down, almost directly, on Yuugi.

"Remember what I told you about that Christian religion? About their savior who sacrificed himself to the darkness so that people could live? How he was born to be given to the darkness?"

Atemu nodded.

"They say that on the night of his birth, a bright star heralded his coming. A choir of angels came from heaven, proclaiming that he had been born so he could love, that he was the light that would shine in the darkness."

Again Atemu nodded, but he was perplexed as to what Yuugi was trying to tell him.

"I don't understand."

"'And a light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.'(1) You are the darkness. I am the light."

Atemu smiled. That he understood the yami and hikari part completely.

"I was born for you." Yuugi's eyes were reflecting the light of the over head star, giving him a more angelic appearance.

"What?" Atemu started to shiver, unaccustomed to the cold, and out of concern for Yuugi. What the boy was saying just wasn't coming across to him.

"Do you know what tradition Christians have at this time of year, to celebrate the birth of their savior?"

Shaking his head, Atemu said 'no.'

"They give each other gifts, to demonstrate their love and devotion to friends, family, lovers and their god. I may not be Christian, but I wish to give you a gift as well."

"A gift? For me? But you have already given me so much!"

"It doesn't matter. This gift I have is for you and you alone. No other may have it. Will you accept it?" Tears glistened in Yuugi's eyes, sparkling in his lashes as they combined with the snow crystals gliding onto his cheeks.

"Anything you wish to give me I will readily accept! You know that."

"So you'll accept my gift, even if you have misgivings?"

"Yes, yes! Of course! I would never have misgivings!" Atemu's voiced neared a breaking point as he tried to emphasize to Yuugi that he meant the world to the former pharaoh.

"Then here it is. I am giving you myself. I want you to take me."

Atemu stared at Yuugi. All his fears and misgivings about advancing their love came back to him, but as he regarded Yuugi, he saw the young man's determined face.

"You cannot taint me, Atemu. I am the light, you are the darkness. I was born for you."

Atemu looked around him at the silent scene around him. The humble nativity with the glowing child, the heavenly diamond winking down on them, and Yuugi, standing in the midst of it all, pure snow glowing at his feet, a halo of light encasing him. Atemu was in awe, but shook himself, moved toward Yuugi and pressed their lips together.

Breaking the kiss, he looked into Yuugi's eyes and whispered, "And a light shineth in the darkness…"

Later that night (or early the next morning), as the two young men bathed in afterglow of their love, Atemu pushed Yuugi's sweat soaked bangs from his indigo eyes.

"You're beautiful, you're everything, you're my light, and my savior. You're my savior…" he breathed.

"Yes, and you're mine... From now until forever… Merry Christmas, yami."

"Is that what this holiday is called?" Yuugi nodded. "Then, 'Merry Christmas' to you too. I loved your gift, more than you could ever know. But I wish that I could've given you something as well."

"You did."

Atemu regarded Yuugi, confused.

"Your love, you gave me your love. Merry Christmas."

"Yes… yes, it is."

The two new lovers slowly fell asleep. Outside as the snow continued its slow journey to the earth, the bright star pulsed gently. A soft, angelic tune wafted on the wind, heralding good tidings of the joyful joining of light and darkness. All was holy, then, all was silent.

La Fin

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**NOTE:** _Once again, I implore those of you who might find my story offensive to keep in mind that I am not out to offend anyone. I am merely attempting to explore an element of Yuugi and Atemu's relationship, as well as impress what many believe to be the reason of Christmas… (No, it's not Yami and Yuugi hooking up, but it's an added bonus…. /snickers/) _

_(1) Quote from the Gospel of John 1:5_


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